Helvetia is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 59. According to the 2020 census, its population was 38. The isolated community was settled by

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

starting in 1869, and is known today for maintaining Swiss traditions, food, and folkways.

History

Helvetia West Virginia Historical Marker Sign

After the end of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, a group of Swiss and German-speaking immigrants calling themselves the ''Grütliverein'' ( Grütli Society) formed in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. The members agreed that they would all emigrate to another section of the country together when the time was right. A member of the society named Isler surveyed large swaths of the eastern West Virginia mountains for a

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

-based firm, and reported back to the society on the richness of the country. A committee of six men was assembled, and left Brooklyn by rail on October 15, 1869. They arrived at Clarksburg and began the difficult work of traveling by foot over the mountains. They reached a plot that was on offer for sale on October 20, and were disappointed by the extreme thickness of the wilderness in this lightly settled and rugged country. The land was very reasonably priced, though, and they had offers of other assistance from the land agents in Clarksburg if they would encourage further settlement in the area. After hearing the report of this exploration, the society members all decided they would go to West Virginia. Because of the low cost of the land, all of the settlers were able to buy their own tracts, ranging from a small house lot to hundreds of acres. An area of was set aside at the center of the community and laid off into lots, which were sold to skilled tradesmen as an incentive. At the beginning of 1871, there were thirty-two people living in the community. A new arrival in that year, C.E. Lutz, became the local land agent and wrote advertisements in English and German for papers across the country extolling the virtues of the settlement. Lutz's methods would later face scrutiny from both American and Swiss authorities, and he would be investigated in 1880 by West Virginia State Senator Joseph J. Woods. New settlers came from various parts of the United States and Canada, and some immigrated directly from Switzerland. In addition to farmers and herdsmen, many craftsmen and professionals were among the settlers: stonemasons; carpenters; painters; wagon, shoe, watch, hat, and cheese makers; musicians; teachers; ministers; and doctors. By 1874 the community's population had grown to a heady 308, and by 1875 a band and mutual aid society called the Schweizer-Kranken-Unterstützung-Verein (or, the Swiss Health Support Association) had been organized. During the late 1960s, Eleanor Mailloux and Delores Baggerly worked to attract tourists to the town by highlighting the town's Swiss heritage. They established the Hütte restaurant, collaborated on a community cookbook titled ''Oppis Guet’s vo Helvetia'', and began the public annual Fasnacht celebration. Notably, Helvetia's Fasnacht combines the customs of the traditional Swiss

Fasnacht The Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht, Fasnacht (in Switzerland) or Fasnat/Faschnat (in Vorarlberg) is the pre-Lenten carnival in Alemannic folklore in Switzerland, southern Germany, Alsace and Vorarlberg. Etymology Popular etymology often links '' ...

and Sechselaüten. The

Helvetia Village Historic District Helvetia Village Historic District is a national historic district located at Helvetia, Randolph County, West Virginia. It encompasses 26 contributing buildings in the village center. Some of the buildings date to the original settlement peri ...

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978. Helvetia is a playable location in the 2018 video game

Fallout 76 ''Fallout 76'' is a 2018 online action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is an installment in the ''Fallout'' series and a prequel to previous entries. ''Fallout 76'' is Bethesda ...

, which is set in the state of West Virginia and is the staging ground of the popular Fasnacht day event in Fallout 76.

Events and festivals

, last Saturday before Lent *

Maple Syrup Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple tree ...

Festival, third Weekend in March *Helvetia

Ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

Supper, last Saturday in April *Follow Your Bliss Festival, weekend after Father's Day *

Swiss National Holiday The Swiss National Day (german: Schweizer Bundesfeiertag; french: Fête nationale suisse; it, Festa nazionale svizzera; Romansh: Festa naziunala svizra) is the national holiday of Switzerland, set on 1 August. Although the founding of the Swis ...

, Saturday nearest August 1 *Helvetia Community Fair, second full weekend in September *Thanksgiving Dinner, Fourth Thursday in November *Feast of Saint Nicholas Day, Saturday closest to December 5

References

External links

Helvetia WV NewsPhoto Documentary of Helvetia West Virginia Community
from SamandaDorger.com {{authority control Census-designated places in Randolph County, West Virginia Census-designated places in West Virginia German-American culture in West Virginia Swiss-American culture in West Virginia Populated places established in 1869 1869 establishments in West Virginia